Lena’s POVLike a true guardian, Ikiaq guided us through the valley, covering as much distance as we could in the broad daylight. The place was the remotest and most uninhabitable region on the entire planet. Throughout our journey, apart from a handful of Dall sheep, caribou, grizzlies, and hawks, we hardly saw much. Maybe it was because of our speed.Urko was the fastest amongst us and we struggled to keep pace with him. Zephyrus, although fast, opted to stay by my side rather than rush. I was thankful for his presence near me. He cared for me in ways that left me flabbergasted. Every step I took, he was there to guide me. “Let’s stop for a drink. Lena’s thirsty,” he announced, totally surprising me. How did he know I was extremely thirsty? We stopped for me near a frozen lake. Zephyrus broke the ice to create a perfect hole for me to drink the water. Everyone lapped up the water greedily, the exhaustion taking a toll on us. We had to run across the uninhabitable territory, avoidin

Lena’s POVZephyrus sprinkled Annabeth’s magical silver dust to make us all invisible. The cave was enormous and we could easily walk in. We entered the cave cautiously but before we could reach the open door at the other side, a loud hiss made us stop. We were instantly on our guard, knowing it was none other than Sergio. We stayed as quiet as possible to gauge the monstrosity of the creature. The walls of the cave vibrated as a giant serpent with huge fiery eyes slithered through the door towards us. It was larger than Ikiaq as well! For the first time, we were glad to be invisible! The serpent’s evil eyes looked around for us. Maybe it could sense our presence in the room. It was the opportunity we needed to target its third eye to kill it. Zephyrus sprang towards the creature. Before he could see the sword, Zephyrus pierced it into the gigantic eye in the center of his head. A loud earth-shattering hiss pierced the air as the creature writhed in pain, thrashing frantically in the

Lena’s POV“No, wait. First, revive her, please!” I clasped my paws and pleaded with her. I couldn’t let her leave without freeing my mom from her magic spell.“I will once you surrender yourself to me.” I gaped at her, the words finally registering in my brain. She wanted to capture me right now. No, I couldn’t let her do it. If she used the same magic spell on me, it would be impossible for Zephyrus to find me. “I will surrender myself if you let me meet my mother once. I want her to see me. Please, I promise!” I begged, trying to be as convincing as possible. I knew I would never keep my promise. It was as fake as the smug smile on Evelyn’s face. “I can grant your wish, but you only have two minutes with your mother. In the meantime, I’ll feast on your little army.” Her loud, evil cackle echoed around the small room as she took in the horrified look on my face. She turned towards my mother and muttered something with her eyes closed, pointing her index finger towards her. With a

Lena’s POV“I’ll throw your mother down the summit if you don’t give yourself up to me, Lena. Ask your mate to stop pursuing us,” yelled Evelyn. I panicked at her threat. We might be immortal, but my mother wasn’t in a state to withstand her torture. She could never recuperate from this. She would break all her bones and be confined to the bed all her life. I couldn’t let Evelyn do this. There had to be some way to stop her. “Please save her, grandma!” I cried out! “Please, Moon Goddess! Help your daughter!” whispered Zephyrus. Ikiaq rushed up after Zephyrus to help us, but he was helpless too. Evelyn reached the top and laughed at us, mocking our helplessness. “Surrender, Lena.” “No, let my mother go first.” “As you wish!” She chuckled mirthlessly as she flung my mother off her shoulder, releasing her totally. I gasped with horror at seeing my mother’s unconscious body fall off the summit like a rag doll!“No,” I cried out, rushing to the edge. “Just give in, Lena!” hissed Eve

Lena’s POVWe reached home just as the sun appeared on the horizon, casting a pale light all around the snowy terrain. I smiled at my mate, who held his hand out for me to take. Although we both looked a mess after the trauma we went through, our hearts thumped wildly at the sight of one another. We were safe, alive, unscathed. We could now live our life to the fullest. Now, we could pick up where we had left off! I placed my hand in his and he led me up the porch, over the threshold, into our home. I inhaled deeply, loving the warm, cozy smell of the place where I’ll live forever with my mate. “I’m so glad to be back home with you.” Zephyrus smiled, releasing my hand to unlock the door of our private haven. “Now it’s time to settle down with me here, Lenn.” A flutter of excitement started in my stomach, and I nodded. “Yes, I’m ready to settle down with you.” He closed the door and walked up to me.“We’ll soon have a battalion of pups playing around here.” I blushed at his line of